Riven has the worst timing.
Is this an insult to myself?
I waited for my mothers answer, her cold gaze staring down my soul.
I felt a warmth on my face.
"you called?" Riven asked, all nonchalant.
"huh?" fuck this guy, after the courage I had taken to say this he stops the time for me?
"Surprised? You were practically screaming for more time" he gave me a one way smile and sat down beside me "are you hiding something from me?" he looked at the ground and then up at me and stared me down with those eyes.
I hicked again.
"I don't think so..." I said, my eyes not being able to take off his.
Riven pressed his lips together tightly " you can control death can't you?"
What is this guy saying?
"control death?" I said not beliving his words
He looked a bit shocked by what I said.
"Why don't you try to control it now?" Riven got up and opened the window
"can you see the timer on that crow?" He asked, his tone a bit curious
"no, I can't, I can only see it if its within a 7 mile radius, that crow is too far away" I said as curiosity and suspicion tangled my chest.
Riven made his way to the garden and plucked a leaf with a caterpillar and brought it to me.
"you can see his timer right?" he asked in a critical tone.
"...yes?" I said still unsure of his plans "are you implying that I can control death?" I asked my tone a bit more serious than before.
Riven nodded "try," he asked while bringing himself closer till our eyes were just centimeters away. His eyes were piercing me with his curiosity, I carefully observed his lips move and the rhythm of his breathing. I instinctively covered his eyes.
"Echo?" the confusion was evident in his tone. I pushed his face away a little and with a flustered voice I replied "oh yes"
I felt like my stomach folded inside me, Riven doesnt seem to notice his effect on me though. I tried putting my focus on the caterpillar instead.
"what do you notice?" I looked up to Riven
"stop distracting me" I said in a not so sweet tone
I focused on the numbers, I couldn't feel any different.
"what am I supposed to do?" I asked Riven, who had no knowledge of my abilty, so why did I expect an answer.
"sorry," I sighed ashamed of how empty my effort had been.
"wait, let me think" he went to a thoughtful state, clearly immersed in his thoughts, his hair would clearly be a disturbance, I pushed back a red strand which was about to fall on his face. His skin is smooth... It seemed to snap him back to reality.
His eyes bore into mine.
"why dont you try to imagine the caterpillar as a butterfly?"
The wind made his hair fall again.
Oh
"i'll try"
I closed my eyes and imagined a butterfly, blue and black with beautiful wings. I looked at the caterpillar again and imagined again.
I saw a time lapse.
The butterfly grew beautiful wings but I couldn't stop, not until it was dead.
"Echo that's enough," Riven said serious and stern.
My eye hurts, my head feels full.
The butterfly flew as though trying to escape, it flapped its beautiful wings- then it kept growing, aging and wilting but I couldn't stop, I watched as it sped its wings but never being able to soar. Eventually, it fell to the ground.
Tears ran down my cheek.
"I-I didn't mean to. I- only imagined it, I didn't want this to happen, then...then why?" my body felt hot, my hands were trembling and I was overcome with grief, hatred to myself and...fear. What if it wasn't a butterfly next time? I looked at my hands trembling and imagined it stained blood.
Riven wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly.
Its just a butterfly.
But it wasnt supposed to die right now.
This was no 'special ability'.